EIGHTY-SIXED
World Premiere Musical
Book by Jeremy J. King
Music and Lyrics by Sam Salmond
Based on the novel by David B. Feinberg
Directed by Kevin Newbury
Choreographed by Raja Feather Kelly
Diversionary Theatre
May 12 – June 12, 2022
www.diversionary.org/eighty-sixed
New York City used to be a party town, but 1986 finds everyone paralyzed with fear of AIDS. Everyone, that is, except BJ Rosenthal, who’s determined to keep the party going. When an ex-lover becomes ill, BJ is forced to face the nightmare enveloping him and redefine his life. Based on the celebrated novel of its time and set to a soaring pop score pulsating with joy and heart wrenching melodies, Eighty-Sixed unearths an epidemic that shook the world to reveal a community’s ferocious fight to reclaim its future.
BOB FOSSE’S DANCIN’
(Original Broadway production created, directed, and choreographed by Bob Fosse)
Choreography by Bob Fosse
Direction and musical staging by Wayne Cilento
The Old Globe Theatre
April 19– May 29, 2022
Bob Fosse’s Dancin’ is Fosse’s full-throated, full-bodied celebration of the art form he loved, practiced, and changed forever. Dancin’ brims with Fosse’s warmth, emotion, color, and endlessly influential style rarely seen in modern interpretations of his work. Featuring an eclectic score that spans a multitude of musical genres and an extraordinary cast of Broadway’s most accomplished dancers, Dancin’ delivers the quintessential Broadway experience for Fosse fans and first-timers alike.
MEMPHIS: THE MUSICAL
Book and Lyrics by Joe Dipietro & David Bryan
Based on a concept by George W. George
Director & Choreographer Jeffrey Polk
Moonlight Amphitheater
May 11 – 28, 2022
www.moonlightstage.com/shows-tickets/memphis
From the underground dance clubs of 1950s Memphis, Tennessee, comes the Tony and Olivier Award-winning musical that bursts off the stage with explosive dancing, irresistible songs, and a thrilling tale of fame and forbidden love. Originally premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse, this new Broadway musical is inspired by actual events. MEMPHIS is about a white radio DJ who wants to change the world and a black club singer who is ready for her big break. Come along on their incredible journey to the ends of the airwaves – filled with laughter, soaring emotion and roof-raising rock ‘n’ roll. Winner of four 2010 Tony Awards including Best Musical and two 2015 Olivier Awards, MEMPHIS features a Tony-winning book by Joe DiPietro and a Tony-winning original score with music by Bon Jovi founding member David Bryan.
MUD ROW
Southern California Premiere
Cygnet Theatre
May 18 – June 19, 2022
www.cygnettheatre.com/season/2021-2022-season/mud-row/
By Dominique Morisseau
Directed by Delicia Turner Sonnenberg
Two generations of sisters navigate class, race, love and family on “Mud Row,” an area in the East End of West Chester, Pennsylvania. Elsie hopes to move up in the world by marrying into “the talented tenth,” while her sister Frances joins the fight for Civil Rights. Decades later, estranged sisters Regine and Toshi are forced to reckon with their shared heritage and each other, when Regine inherits granny Elsie’s house. Tony Award nominee Dominique Morisseau deftly shifts between past and present to paint a living portrait of family legacy.
